Starting your own festival is a very effective way to find out how much you actually trust your instincts. By Kate Abbey, Artistic Director, Curious Minds. Image above: Elif Shafak book signing
Between the three of us – Kate Hall, Jasmine Barker and me – we’ve spent years working on festivals for other people. We know how programmes come together, how venues work, how to build an atmosphere that holds a room. But doing it for ourselves felt different. Riskier and more personal.
In November 2023, Curious Minds existed only as a title and a handful of hopeful notes. No funding. No venues. No speakers. No website. Just a decision to begin. By the 8th March 2024, the first of 35 events went live.
That jump, from an idea to a room full of people listening, laughing and asking questions still gives me the same mix of joy and nerves every time March comes around. Because once the doors open, the festival stops being yours. It belongs to the people who turn up.
Curious Minds didn’t arrive fully formed as a grand cultural vision. We set up Bath Arts Collective in late 2023 to give our work a home rooted in Bath. It’s a social enterprise built around collaboration, supporting emerging creatives, platforming local talent and showcasing established names, in ways that feel accessible rather than intimidating.
After nearly a decade of all working together in Bath we’d learnt a lot! The events that really worked, the ones people talked about afterwards, the ones where the atmosphere shifted weren’t the ones telling people what to think. They were the ones feeding a curious mind. Hidden stories. Expert insight. Immersive experiences in heritage buildings. The common thread wasn’t a topic or a format; it was curiosity. The kind that encourages us to connect, to stay fluid rather than fixed, and to meet each other with a little more empathy.
So when we asked ourselves what kind of festival would be true to this place, the answer felt obvious: one built around curiosity. That, and the slightly dangerous thought: I wonder if we could actually pull this off.
A festival built on what we knew (and a lot we didn’t)
Because we came from festival land, our first instinct wasn’t to overthink the theory. It was practical. Let’s book spaces people already love. Let’s invite speakers and performers who ask interesting questions. Let’s make it feel welcoming. Let’s see what happens.
The first year felt a bit like throwing a dinner party before you’ve finished building the kitchen. We booked venues while designing the website. We confirmed speakers while still explaining what the festival actually was. And we sent a truly heroic number of emails beginning, “Hello! We’re starting a new festival…”
One of our earliest headline speakers was Jeremy Bowen. He nearly didn’t make it. A last-minute BBC request meant he might have been sent to the Middle East the day before his Bath appearance. When he arrived in the city in time, it felt like a minor miracle (or at least the reward for a lot of crossed fingers and frantic WhatsApp messages).
What surprised us most wasn’t just that people came. It was the generosity they brought with them.
Some of my favourite moments happened quietly, at the back of the room. Standing with my co-directors Jas and Kate, pretending we were just there to “check the lighting” or “count the chairs”, while actually watching an event unfold and realising that this thing we’d imagined was really happening. The room leaning in. The laughter landing. The questions flowing. Those were pinch-me moments.
There were others too. Like the support of Mr B’s Emporium, our brilliant festival bookseller, who backed the festival from the very beginning and The 7 Hills Festivals who brought glorious award-winning musicians to the festival. We have to also shout-out brand designer Bob Mytton, founder of Mytton Williams, who heard me talk about Curious Minds at a networking event, simply said, “We’d love to help” and designed our logo for free.
And then there were the emails. People we’d never met asking if they could volunteer. Not for the glamour (there isn’t much), but because they wanted to be part of something that felt positive, thoughtful and shared.
Making space, not noise
Curious Minds is now an award-winning, city-wide festival popping up in bookshops, museums, heritage buildings, pubs and performance spaces across Bath every March. It’s a place to listen deeply, laugh loudly, challenge assumptions, try something new or simply enjoy good company.
We’re returning for our third year now, and in that short time the festival has almost doubled in size. Growth like that only happens because people keep turning up and because Bath has room for emerging creatives and local talent alongside established names. That mix matters. We want the programme to feel like a conversation across experience and perspective, not a one-way lecture from the same few voices.
Over the past two festivals, that approach has brought some extraordinary voices into the city and into conversation with our audiences. Bryony Gordon opening up about mental health with honesty and humour; Patrick Grant on sustainable fashion in a way that made people rethink what they buy and why; Elif Shafak on fiction writing that stayed with aspiring writers long after the event; Gabriel Gatehouse unpacking US conspiracy culture with rigour and empathy; Ros Atkins helping people think differently about communicating with confidence. We love ideas that linger.
From the beginning, we wanted the festival to feel like it belonged to the city. Collaboration isn’t a buzzword; it’s how the thing works. Guest curators, venues, volunteers and sponsors turn bookshops, museums and pubs into spaces for curiosity and discovery. That shared ownership is what makes the festival feel alive.
I’m lucky this year to work with a wide range of guest curators including broadcaster and journalist Anu Anand; Sudanese-British cultural producer and Sudafest founder Hiba Elhindi; poet and performer Manganaro; conductor and community music leader Jason Thornton; Spencer Hancock, Head of Operations at the Holburne Museum; social media and PR specialist Sarah Baker; and film programmer Ellie Hendricks, curator of the Movie at the Museum strand.
Not knowing is kind of the point
If Curious Minds has a philosophy, it’s probably this: we’re more interested in good questions than neat answers.
That’s why the 2026 festival (12–28 March) is built around five thematic strands, offering different ways in, whether you’re drawn to wellbeing, politics, storytelling, hidden histories or simply a really good night out.
There’s Wellbeing Without the Woo-Woo, which promises grounded conversations about mental health and modern life without clichés or quick fixes. The State We’re In tackles big, sometimes uncomfortable questions about politics, belonging and disagreement. Read. Write. Repeat. celebrates storytelling in all its forms. Hidden Stories uncovers the overlooked and quietly radical. And An Evening Out exists for a simple reason: shared experiences are good for us.
A few things I’m especially excited about this year
Choosing highlights always feels slightly unfair, but there are a few moments I can’t wait for. Who Belongs? Britain and the Small Boats Debate takes on one of the most urgent questions in public life. How to Stop Hating the People We Disagree With, with Professor Paul Dolan, asks how we stay open in a polarised world. And in Food Noise, Dr Jack Mosley explores weight loss drugs, cravings and the future of eating in a way that feels both timely and grounded.
I’m delighted that Nussaibah Younis joins us for The Festival Read, and thrilled that Cerys Matthews brings Under Milk Wood to life. Our All Stars Poetry Night promises brilliance, bite and joy in equal measure.
Across the wider programme, conversations range from government and media to mental health, climate, storytelling and sustainable fashion. Across 60 events, you’ll find talks, film screenings, walking tours, workshops and performances which have all been designed to invite you in rather than talk at you.
Growing without losing our nerve
After our first year, we were thrilled to receive sponsorship from Bath Spa University, a moment that felt like a real vote of confidence. Support from partners including Mr B’s Emporium, FilmBath and the Holburne Museum has helped the festival grow without losing its character.
Growth, for us, has never been about being louder or bigger for the sake of it. It’s about keeping things welcoming, inclusive and creating moments where people slow down, connect and turn ideas into shared experiences. In the world we’re currently living in, that feels quietly radical.
If you come along, I hope you’ll leave with a question that stays with you. Or a conversation you didn’t expect. Or a small reminder that being curious – together – is still one of the best ways we have of making sense of the world.
Curious Minds: A Festival to Ignite Ideas runs from 12–28 March 2026. Tickets are on sale now. Full programme details are at: curiousmindsfestival.co.uk